Broken Wings (Dark Legacy #1)(79)
It was probably a terrible decision, but a huge part of me wanted this. I ignored all the warning bells in my head, telling me I was heading straight for a broken heart. My heart could only be broken if I fell in love with him, and that was insanity. Beck was just ... Beck. So I threw caution and common sense to the wind and stepped into the shower with him.
21
The surprises continued after our shower, with Beck declaring that he was driving me to school, and that he’d already told Eddy not to stop by.
“Possessive much?” I muttered, pulling up my knee high socks and arching a brow at him. “You know people are going to talk if I turn up to school in your car?”
His gaze heated, running over the length of my leg that I had propped up on a chair. “Good,” he growled. “It’s time they know you belong to me.” I spluttered a noise, and his eyes darted away from me. “Us. Delta, I mean. Anyway, go have some coffee and breakfast, I’ll be back in fifteen to pick you up.”
I assumed he needed to go and get his car, or a change of clothes, seeing as he had literally climbed through my window the night before. Whatever, the double-O before breakfast had me in too good of a mood to argue with him.
A stupid grin seemed glued to my face as I headed into the kitchen after Beck left. I couldn’t seem to wipe it off, but no one else was around to see me looking like a fool, so who cared?
“Oh, uh, good morning,” Richard said as I walked into the kitchen, and my smile slipped off my face. He and Catherine were seated at the elaborately laid breakfast table and Catherine was glaring at me like I was dog shit stuck to her Jimmy Choos.
“Hi...” I dragged the word out, awkwardly assessing how I could get the fuck out of there without being too obvious?
Richard gave me a tight smile and indicated to a third place set at the table. “Please, join us. Breakfast is such an important meal for a growing teenager.” His face was drawn, his words underscored with sadness and my heart went out to him a bit. Catherine was evil to the core, there was no doubt about that, but Richard just seemed like a grieving father.
I hesitated, rocking on my stupid heels for a moment, but my mind was made up by the subtle headshake Catherine gave me.
Oh, what’s that? Don’t want me to join you? Suck my dick, Debitch.
Smiling sweetly at my birth mother, I politely accepted Richard’s offer and sat down for breakfast.
She scowled at me like she was plotting my death, and it only made me want to piss her off even more. If I’d been a more callous person, I’d have asked about Oscar. But I sensed that Catherine didn’t care much for her son as anything more than the Deboise legacy. A title I now held. No, bringing up my dead brother would only hurt Richard and so far I didn’t see how he deserved that from me.
“Riley,” Catherine started, clearing her throat and folding her hands in front of her. “I don’t know what sort of loose morals your adoptive parents raised you with, but you’re part of a very respected company now. That comes with certain expectations of behavior.” She said this last word like it was distasteful, and I suspected she was talking about my less than subtle fuck session with Beck this morning.
Ordinarily, I’d have been mortified. Or, I would have been if my real parents had heard me getting my freak on. I shuddered even thinking about it. But Catherine’s insinuation that my parents were irresponsible or just generally shitty parents, made me see red.
“Insult my parents one more time, Catherine,” I spat at her. “I fucking dare you.”
My cursing made her jaw clench, and I watched her fists tighten on the table. She wanted to hit me so badly, but was holding back for some reason. Because of Richard? Or because I’d fought back last time?
“Regardless,” she hissed. “No heir of mine will be gaining a reputation as the town bicycle, nor will she be giving birth to some illegitimate bastard before graduating high school.” Her words were laced with venom, and I wondered what she’d say if she knew it had been Beck who was riding this bicycle.
“Not to worry, mommy-dearest,” I replied with sickly sweet sarcasm. “If that happened, I could just dump the baby and pretend it never happened. You know all about that, don’t you?”
Her face turned a splotchy red, and her lips parted in fury. Before she could respond, though, Richard cleared his throat.
“Don’t you have a meeting with Langham this morning, dear?” he reminded her, taking an innocent sip of his coffee.
Catherine glared daggers at me for another beat then sucked a sharp breath and turned back to her husband. “I think you mean we have a meeting with Langham, Richard. They expect to see both of us.”
Richard just shook his head. “I’m not ready. You go on without me and give me the abridged version later.”
It was a clear dismissal, if I’d ever heard one. Catherine huffed, but threw down her linen napkin and stormed out of the kitchen with a sharp clicking of her heels.
“I apologize about her,” my biological father said softly when she was gone. “I’d like to say this is a result of Oscar’s...” His voice broke over the missing word—death—but he cleared his throat to continue. “But in truth she’s always been a cold bitch.” He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin then pushed back his chair. “I don’t mean to cut your breakfast short, but I wondered if I might show you something? I’m so rarely here and time ... time is just not on our side.” His words dripped in melancholy, and my heart broke for him.